Miscommunication
by Kathryin
Summary: A confrontation between a young Zuko and Azula in the palace gardens leaves a bad taste for both of them.
_Firenation Palace_

'When Dad gets back from the war meeting you know you're going to be in _major_ trouble Azula', exclaimed a young boy with a topknot. 'Quiet Zuko!' Azula snapped, but he continued, 'We aren't supposed to bend unsupervised! I'll tell, I will you know, and then you'll have to deal with dad'.

Zuko had frequently witnessed Azula bending unsupervised and usually wouldn't have said anything in order to avoid confrontation however, he was unsettled at just how close to the pond which contained his mother's beloved turtle duck's Azula's vibrant blue streams were. At his word's, the flames were extinguished.

'Yes, yes I know! You _are_ a tattletale after all!' snapped Azula, with a sneer on her face, which slowly began to morph into a smirk, 'Perhaps father will be more interested in how you spent _your_ day dear Zuzu, how were your lessons with the esteemed master Jeung?' she was full out grinning at this point. Zuko immediately paled in response, 'Mother says... She says that Cousin Lu Ten also struggled with the phoenix form when young- that... That father will not care', but even to his own ears the words lacked the conviction and confidence needed to be convincing.

Zuko wasn't a bad bender by any means, he was above average and perhaps would be considered advanced and quite skilled- if he was the brother of anyone but Azula, but compared to Azula, who was only seven, two years younger than himself, he was abysmal and fast becoming a disappointment to their father- a fact which neither child failed to notice.

'Did she now?' Said Azula, smug. 'Father will not care!' Yelled Zuko, as if raising the volume of his voice would give the statement more credibility, however, his voice wavered at the end of the statement and his hands shook and Azula, like a viper took that as her cue to sweep in for the kill, with feigned innocence and a tone in her voice that would have been mistaken for compassion had Zuko not known any better, 'Maybe father won't care after all...' giving him an exaggerated look of pity, that did very little to mask the glee in her eyes she continued, 'he already thinks you're a weakling.' Standing abruptly with an air of victory, Azula walked away, with confident, prideful steps.

Once Azula was a good distance away, and Zuko was no longer able to see her, Zuko's brave demeanour that he'd barely been holding together collapsed and he fell to his knee's with one fist clenched onto the grass and the other angrily scrubbing his eyes until they were raw red. 'I will be stronger, I will not be a weakling.' He promised himself with fierce determination.

It's not that Azula hated Zuko, she did care for him, however in her eyes, the only way for Zuko to improve and stop being a weakling was with harsh treatment, after all, that's what had made her strong, was it not? Azula's back still stung from the secret training she had received earlier from their father.

The welts were bad enough to ache painfully, but not scar, after all, Ozai had not been given permission to train Azula. He was also one who admired perfection, all of his property was pristine and if it was not- well who would notice a servant vanish anyway. 'No, he would never scar me.' Azula thought with something that was a combination between a smile and a grimace. 'I'm much too important.'

After looking around to ensure there was no one to witness her moment of weakness, Azula's posture changed, gone were the prideful steps, Azula gripped onto a pillar and stumbled, almost falling. 'Perfection isn't easy.' She mused. Azula regretted showing off near the pond, the burnt skin on her back felt tight and uncomfortable. For a moment her eyes glistened, almost as if she were about to cry, but if anyone had been around to see, they could have easily mistaken it for a trick of the light, for when Azula blinked, the unshed tears had already vanished- without a single drop falling. 'Zuko, become strong, I can't handle this alone. Things couldn't get much worse.'

Unbeknownst to anyone, Crown Prince Iroh's son, Lu Ten had just fallen in battle in Ba Sing Se, and would never rise again, and that meant, everything was about to change.

 _Hey everyone, I wrote this on my phone so there is bound to be many, many mistakes, I will try to correct them sometime in the future but until then you can try to ignore them (or complain about them). This is my first attempt at writing anything really, so if you liked it let me know. Thanks._

 _Katherine._


End file.
